Anti-Virus Report Shows Kaspersky On Top With McAfee And Microsoft Last In Protection

In the quest to quell all the malware that persists in the world, you need a good antimalware solution, but one is not just as good as the next. In a new report, Dennis Technology Labs compared 9 of the top anti-malware products from various companies to see which handled the onslaught the best.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 topped the list, boasting 100% “Legitimate Accuracy” and 99% “Total Accuracy”, while ESET Smart Security 7 wasn’t far behind with 100% and 98% respectively, and third place went to Norton Internet Security with 97% and 97%.

Bringing up the rear in ugly fashion was Microsoft Security Essentials and McAfee Internet Security. Microsoft’s Legitimate Accuracy was solid enough at 98%, but its Total Accuracy was a measly 66%. McAfee, which is owned by Intel, fared worse at 61% and 65%, respectively.

That accuracy rating takes into account not just how many threats the software detected, but also how much legitimate software it allowed to run.

Dennis Technology Labs also noted in the report that blocking websites based on reputation appears to be a solid approach. Further, for what it’s worth, there was a general discrepancy between the effectiveness of free versus paid software. Among the top five, only Avast! Free Antivirus 8 was free to use.